New Western Sydney partnership to expand the reach of the SALSA program

Article contributed by Kym Rizzo Liu, Prevention Education and Research Unit, WSLHD

The Prevention Education and Research Unit (PERU) at WSLHD has recently signed an MoU with WSYD Moving to support the upscaling of Students As LifeStyle Activists (SALSA), an evidence-based, award-winning peer-led program developed and refined in partnership with Western Sydney high schools. Collaboration has been central to SALSA since it began in Western Sydney, and this new partnership will help extend its reach to more schools and young people across the region.

The SALSA program aims to empower young people to lead positive changes around physical activity and healthy eating. Through its train-the-trainer model, university students and community volunteers are trained as SALSA Educators, who then train Year 10 students as SALSA Peer Leaders. These students go on to deliver four interactive lessons to Year 8 students during regular PDHPE classes, sharing important health messages.

The partnership brings together the strengths and expertise of both organisations: PERU's experience in evidence-based school health promotion and youth peer leadership, and WSYD Moving's extensive network and commitment to increasing physical activity across Western Sydney.

Through shared expertise, networks and in-kind support, the collaboration will build local capacity to train more SALSA Educators and Peer Leaders, enabling the program to reach more schools and communities.

It is an important next step for a program created in Western Sydney more than 20 years ago, in response to concerns raised by doctors in Mt Druitt about the growing burden of chronic disease and obesity. Since then, SALSA has been sustained through strong partnerships with WentWest Primary Health Network, local medical associations, schools and universities, all while keeping young people at the centre of creating healthier school communities.